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The Lord of the Rings stars Liv Tyler & Cate Blanchette didn't get cast tattoos: "It's just a movie"

Arwen and Galadriel - that is, Tyler and Blanchette respectively - didn't feel the need to commemorate the Lord of the Rings like the boys in the Fellowship of the Ring did

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Tue Jan 27 2026

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Even the most casual fan of The Lord of the Rings movies probably knows about the tattoos. But in case you don't - every member of The Fellowship of the Ring (that is, Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Sean Bean, Dominic Moynihan, Viggo Mortensen, John Rhys Davies, Orlando Bloom, and Billy Boyd) all commemorated their time filming the first of the saga's trilogy with matching tattoos. Cate Blanchette and Liv Tyler, however, didn't feel the need.

Speaking to Empire Magazine for The Fellowship of the Ring's 25th anniversary, Blanchette and Tyler, who played Galadriel and Arwen respectively, said they didn't feel the same compulsion to mark their time in New Zealand with ink. In fact, they found the idea a little funny.

"I had parents covered in tattoos," said Tyler, "And I have rebelled by not having any."

Tar actor Blanchette had an even more mundane reason for not signing up.

"Guys," she laughed to her interviewers, "It's just a movie."

Look, I'm not gonna pretend that comment (admittedly out of context), doesn't sting just a bit, especially considering the fact that plenty of LotR fans have their own tattoos of Galadriel herself. Then again, I guess when you're on screen kicking Nazgul ass or turning the screen photo-negative with your greatness, your legacy is pretty much unimpeachable.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy is streaming on HBO Max.

Whether you're Shirefolk, Elven, Dwarven, or something else, there's a good reason to love Lord of the Rings. We do! With that in mind, we have a dragon's horde of goodies for you:

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.